“You Know How We Do”

I have been getting a little stressed about the baby's arrival and thinking about all the little things that have to get done before he gets here. There are so many things we need for him that we don't have yet: pampers, bottles, pacifiers, diaper genie, play mat, swing, etc. We still need to get the curtains and shelf hung. I need to pack my bag, I need to look up what I need to pack in my bag. Etc.

In addition to all these things I'm also worrying about how good of a mother I'll be and if I'll know how to breastfeed right and give him a bath correctly. I keep worrying about money and finances too and wondering how much all his needs and the doctor bills are going to affect our bank account.

I can imagine these are normal feelings for any mother-to-be, or parent-to-be, for that matter. It's a whole new ball field for us first-timers who haven't a clue what even scratch mittens were until just a few short months ago.

And then it dawned on me. Why does this have to be so stressful?

I'm trying to get everything into place for his arrival - lined up and in order and organized and washed and set just right. I'm trying. But I can't be perfect. It will not be perfect.

This is life. This is who we are. We're not millionaires on the verge of hiring a full-time nanny and I'm not going to be a stay at home mom. We are going to be tired and exhausted, normal human beings struggling to make it just like everyone else. And somehow, that comforts me so much.

When it dawned on me, the words "let's have fun with this" came to my heart. And then I excitedly shared it with Isaac.

I told him that I want to make this an adventure - another new thing that we're trying on (although when you try something on you can generally give it back if you want. No can do in this case, lol). But seriously, I told him, let's just give this our all and do what we do best, and that is to be us. Let's have fun with this!

And as usual, he had the most simple and comforting response. "We always do, hun. You know how we do," he said.

And he's right. Here I am getting wrapped up in all the logistics of new baby stardom when I'm forgetting that this is just another new and exciting adventure for us. One of the many we’ve endured over the years.

From the beginning, Isaac and I have always thrived on life and new experiences and letting the road take us where we felt God led. We've jumped in with both feet and figured things out together - and we've done so since we were 15 and 16. We practically grew up together and figured out this thing called life side by side. I am so proud to be a part of that.

My visions now of our life together include living in simple pleasures like reading books and going to high school football games on Friday nights as a family. Taking him on bike rides to 7-eleven to get a slurpee for a special treat and spending time together making cookies as opposed to watching too much TV. I want to plan to embrace our cramped living space as much as we can and learn how to make the best of our means. Not being a stay-at-home mom will make this hard, but I hope both Isaac and I can aim to at least try.

I do “know how we do” - and I love how we do what we do.